True You

Be yourself. Have the knowledge to know who you are and the confidence to be that person. People can spot a fake and they don't want to hang out with a fake. They steer clear of them. If you are being true to yourself then some people will like you and some people won't. The ones who don't aren't right for you anyway.
Hey, that sounds a lot like marketing your brand.

Picture This

Do you have photos on your web site of your store or employees? Take a look at them as if you've never been in your store before, you're peeking through a window and all you can see are the photos.
What message do your photos convey?
Many small businesses have heard it's important to include photos, but unfortunately they rush the process. Take time to consider what photos you want to include on your site and what you want them to say.

If you want to show your retail store consider tightly framed shots of individual displays rather than the entire store. Unless you have a lot of open space your store will looked cluttered and the viewer will not be able to discern details and determine what products you carry.

Staff photos should follow your brand. Are they happy and relaxed or professional and conservative? Consider the back ground too. Is it warm and inviting or a business office? Pictures of your staff are sending a message just as much as pictures of your store.

If you don't have any photo editing software find someone who does. Make sure the photo you post is not too dark, is in focus not grainy and has pleasing, natural looking colors. A bad photo is not better than no photo at all. You'll turn off your viewer and turn away a potential customer.

If you take away all the text on your web site would the photos be enough to tell your story? Would they tell the story you want heard? Your photos allow viewers to take a peek in your store window. Will they excite, encourage, engage the viewer to come in to your business?

What your signs say about you

"Absolutely no checks accepted!!!"

Have you ever seen a sign like this? When I do it makes me stop and wonder, wow do they really want my business? Working with the public can be frustrating and it often seems people don't get the message. So we scream a little louder, but to what effect?

You want people to enjoy buying from you. If they're willing to spend their money on your products the least you can do is be polite and make it a positive experience. So instead of no, try yes.

"We gladly accept credit card and cash payments."

Yes, you may still have to tell people you don't accept checks. But I'll wager you won't have to remind very many people and in the meantime you've put a smiley face on your business rather than a frown.

Writing is a lot like exercising

Writing is a lot like exercising. It's something you know you should do, but can think of several other things to do instead. You always feel better after you've done it and you feel of a sense of accomplishment.

It seems like everyone is writing these days. Social media has turned everyone into a writer, of sorts. In the world of marketing, writing used to be reserved for copy writers. But now most marketers are called upon to write. To be the personality of their company, their product or their organization.

But not every one has a personal, casual voice when they write. The writing of many marketers sounds, well, like a marketing message. It's insincere and affected because they're trying to be what they think the company wants them to be.

It takes practice to have a natural voice when you write. To not sound like your selling a product, but letting people know that you really care about your company and it's community. I suppose some people are gifted writers and it comes easily to them. Just like there our those who seem never to work out but are fit. The thing is, most of us need to exercise to feel great and look great. Most of us marketers also need to write frequently.
It takes commitment but you'll feel much better after you've done it.

Small Business Marketing

Marketing isn't rocket science, or at least it doesn't have to be as complicated. I've found often times a small business owner will look around his/her business and think,
"Gee, we need more people buying more products more often. Let's put an ad in the paper!"

But here's the thing. When marketing is done successfully it isn't reactionary. There isn't a silver bullet you can shoot that will suddenly make the entire world aware of your business.

Instead, marketing is a combination of efforts helping you achieve a specific goal. Goal being something quantifiable, something you can measure. More people buying more stuff more often isn't a single goal, it's three goals.
And it isn't realistic to think everyone is your market so you're going to have to qualify "more people".
And those people won't be interested in all your products, so you'll need to qualify "more products".
And, that's right, you guessed it, they won't be buying all the time so you'll need to qualify "more often".

You need to be honest with yourself and take the time to define your customer base, understand the benefits of your products, and identify your seasonality. Once you've done this you can begin to ask yourself what goals you have for your business. Such as,
"Moms spend more money in my store. They seem to like to buy items for their children but usually just in the fall and before Christmas. I'd like to get more Mom shoppers into the store."

Now we're getting somewhere. Where do moms in your town go for information? What information do they find appealing and engaging? Put your ads, sponsorships, blogs, flyers in places that moms frequent and make the message about them. Help them solve a problem or appeal to their needs. Make the message about them, not about what you want them to know about you.

It's a lot of work, but it's the good kind of work. The kind that makes your business stronger and fitter and more focused on success.